Paper Soldiers: The American Press and the Vietnam War

ISBN: 0393353877

Author: Wyatt, Clarence R.

Condition: New

A look at the role of the press during the Vietnam War makes use of government and military archival material, presidential papers, and interviews to examine the extent to which the press led or followed the American people. Praised and condemned for its aggressive coverage of the Vietnam War, the American press has been both commended for breaking public support and bringing the war to an end and accused of misrepresenting the nature and progress of the war. While in-depth combat coverage and the instantaneous power of television were used to challenge the war, Clarence R. Wyatt demonstrates that, more often than not, the press reported official information, statements, and views. Examining the relationship between the press and the government, Wyatt looks at how difficult it was to obtain information outside official briefings, what sort of professional constraints the press worked under, and what happened when reporters chose not to "get on the team."